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The Right Way For Edmonton Homeowners To Stain A Deck

For those living in Edmonton, AB, deck staining is not a one-time gig. In other words, if you’ve stained your deck before, you would have to stain it again after a few years, especially if it is in an exposed state. For a stain to last long period of time, it’s best to use a semi-transparent stain or clear sealer. In this article, we’ll briefly cover the deck staining process.

Don’t be in a rush

The deck staining process is comprised of multiple stages which could make the entire process quite time-consuming. Despite this, do not rush through it. Do not stain fresh, pressure treated lumber right away. Give the wood some time to weather and dry out before staining. Apply stain strippers and let them stay on the surface for some time before rinsing them off. A slow and steady approach would also ensure minimal or no spills and over-spray on non-target areas.

Preparation

Prior to staining, the wood should be cleaned well – whether it’s an old deck or brand-new. Fresh wood should be cleaned to get rid of the ‘mill scale’ – grain crushing that happens during the milling. If you proceed with cleaning first, it could mitigate wood stains from permeating the wood pores properly.

In the event of an older deck, sun graying, dirt, old stains and mildew should be removed before staining. There are specific products such as an oxygen bleach wood cleaner that are quite useful for cleaning (you can find more about staining here). These cleaners will not harm you, vegetation or plant life.

If there’s an old stain buildup on the deck, the job then gets a bit tricky. A stain stripper would come in handy in such a scenario. A stripper could be caustic, so be wary of the usage instructions.

Use a Wood Brightener

A brightener can have a significant impact on the outcome of the staining process. However, for some not-so-clear reasons, wood brighteners get skipped quite often. Wood brighteners are easy to apply and have a dramatic impact on the end results of your deck staining project. These brighteners open up the wood’s surface to enhance penetration, neutralize the previously used stain strippers, and restore the weathered, old wood’s appearance to make them look like new once again. This might seem like a lot for a single product to achieve, but brighteners are indeed capable of these effects, so Edmonton homeowners shouldn’t overlook them! Just spray the brightener on the wood, wait a few minutes, and rinse the brightener off.